VMA New Marketing Talent Award – Sponsored by British Dairying & VMA

The VMA New Marketing Talent Award (formerly known as Young Marketer of the Year) recognises a marketer who has demonstrated marketing flair within the veterinary and animal health industry. With generous sponsorship from British Dairying magazine and supported by the VMA, this prestigious award is to recognise a young marketer, either in age, experience, or both, who has demonstrated marketing flair within the animal health industry. The winner receives a £2,000 CPD bursary for their ongoing marketing training and development and a £500 cash personal prize, as well as support and advice from the VMA committee of industry professionals. Entrants should be 34 years of age or under and/or in a marketing role for less than five years on 20th March 2020.

Veterinary/Animal Health Media Advertising Award

This award is for advertisements that have been used to promote a product or service to a veterinary, pharmacy or SQP audience. Entries should have been targeted direct to the veterinary surgeon, pharmacist or SQP and appeared in a veterinary/animal health publication in the UK during 2019. Entries will typically be a single advertisement.

Farm Media Advertising Award

This award is for advertisements that have been used to promote a product or service to a farmer audience. Entries should have been targeted direct to the farmer and appeared in a farming journal or newspaper in the UK during 2019. Entries will typically be a single advertisement.

Consumer Media Advertising Award

This award is for advertisements that have been used to promote a product or service to a consumer/pet/equine owning audience. Entries should have been targeted direct to the consumer/pet/equine owner and appeared in a journal, newspaper or a broadcast environment in the UK during 2019. Entries will typically be a single advertisement.

Advertising Campaign Award

This award is intended for companies that have prepared a campaign or series of advertisements that can only be fully appreciated when viewed as a whole. Entries for this award should have appeared in one or more of the three categories detailed above in the UK during 2019.

Marketing Campaign Award (for companies with a UK annual turnover under £15M)

This award is intended for companies with an annual turnover of less than £15 million that have prepared a complete marketing communications programme, including a mix of media channels such as: social media, digital, video, direct mail, press material and advertising to support their marketing objectives. The campaign must have been executed in the UK during 2019.

Marketing Campaign Award (for companies with a UK annual turnover over £15M)

This award is intended for companies with an annual turnover of more than £15 million that have prepared a complete marketing communications programme, including a mix of media channels such as: social media, digital, video, direct mail, press material and advertising to support their marketing objectives. The campaign must have been executed in the UK during 2019.

Detail Aid Award

Entries for this award should have been used by company sales representatives within veterinary practices/animal health retailers in the UK during 2019. Entries into this category can either be in printed or digital form.

Direct Mail Award

Eligible entries for this award are direct mail campaigns targeted at veterinary surgeons, pharmacists, SQP’s, farmers, pet or equine owners in the UK during 2019.

International Marketing Campaign Award

This award provides an opportunity for marketing agencies to highlight their achievements in developing a marketing communications platform which has been used internationally. Criteria as per the Marketing Campaign Award except that the campaign must have been executed in the UK plus one other country during 2019.

Point of Sale Award

This award is intended for promotional materials used within the premises where products for animals are sold, dispensed or prescribed for the purposes of supporting the product through branding, merchandising, education etc. Examples would include items such as leaflets, posters, merchandising units, etc. The campaign must have been executed or materials available in the UK during 2019.

Practice Marketing Award

This is a category for veterinary practices only. It will be awarded to the practice (companion, production animal or equine) that demonstrates the most initiative and/or innovation in the marketing of its products and/or services to end users. Eligible entries for this award can include: display advertising, direct mail, digital or social media activity (e-marketing, website, etc) or events (e.g. open days) which has been targeted at end users of the practice’s products or services, for example, to clients, general public or farmers. The material must have appeared in the UK during 2019.

Integrated Digital Campaign Award

This award recognises marketing campaigns (product promotional or educational) executed across a range of different digital and social channels and integrated to deliver an effective and cohesive campaign. The campaign must have been executed in the UK during 2019.

Digital Innovation Award

This award recognises the use of leading-edge digital technology in the veterinary /animal health market (can be technology previously used in other industries), or the innovative use of older digital formats. Use of new digital technology will focus on how it stretches the boundaries, meets project objectives and communicates to the target audience whilst innovative use of more established technologies will focus on novel ideas and excellence in implementation. Entries must have been used in the UK during 2019.

PR Award

This award is for the company or veterinary practice that has delivered the most innovative PR initiative or programme in 2019. This can be a single ‘one-off’ published piece or a sustained campaign over a given period to support a product/initiative in the veterinary/animal health industry. It will include published material in any journal, magazine, newspaper, TV, radio or other electronic medium in the UK during 2019. The material must be genuine editorial – campaigns which include a paid format (e.g. advertorial or sponsored material) as part of the programme can be entered for the award, however any ‘paid for’ elements will not be judged or form part of the scoring.

Exhibition Award

This award is for innovative and effective use of exhibition space during 2019. Entries will need to show visuals of the stand and any promotional activity used to promote the stand both before and/or during the exhibition.

Veterinary Vote Awards

These two awards are voted for by veterinary surgeons in practice:

• New Product of the Year Award – for the vets’ ‘favourite new product’, launched in the UK during 2019.
• Veterinary Readership Award – for the vets’ ‘favourite advertisement’, which has appeared in a veterinary journal during 2019.

Veterinary surgeons will be contacted at the beginning of 2020 to elicit their opinions. All responses will be analysed and winners will be announced at the awards.

The Nick Henderson Award – Recognising Excellence in Marketing

This award is given for the most outstanding entry of all those entered. It is intended to mark a notable achievement (innovatory or brave) in any aspect of the advertising mix – messaging, creativity, delivery, etc. Judging for this award will be undertaken after all the categories have been seen by the judging panel.

The Colin George Achievement Award – Recognising Outstanding Contribution by an Individual

This award is given to an individual for their outstanding contribution to veterinary/animal health marketing. Nominations for this award and the award winner will be decided by the VMA committee.